This is pretty surprising because the NRA has traditionally been an extremely partisan & very powerful Republican lobby.
The National Rifle Association – one of the top all-time donors to Republican candidates – is backing some of the most embattled House Democrats in Election 2010.
a campaign cycle expected to be bruising for Democrats, especially moderates elected in 2006 and 2008. These moderates are evidence of how Democrats successfully moved into Republican territory during the past two election cycles, in large part by putting forward candidates who favor gun rights. Now, the NRA is rallying to the cause of many of these imperiled Democratic, pro-gun moderates
From the same C.S.Monitor link above-
Since 1989, NRA financial support has gone overwhelmingly to Republicans, who have picked up 85 percent of campaign contributions from the gun industry in the last 20 years. But contributions are shifting. Campaign contributions from gun rights groups to Democratic congressional candidates jumped from 12 percent in the 2008 campaign cycle to 20 percent for this year's election.
This is upsetting a lot of extreme partisan republicans.
LOL
I tend to think of repubs as pretty monolithic & very disciplined. The Tea Party Movement is starting to splinter the base. This endorsement could fracture the NRA.
Honestly I know very little about the organization beyond the fact that they have a very very bitter partisan history & what I remember from reading this book
Ricochet Confessions of a Gun lobbyist
by Richard Feldman
Feldman chronicles the evolution of the venerable organization from a collection of shooting sports enthusiasts into, under the formidable leadership of Harlon Carter, a dedicated group of Second Amendment stalwarts, and then after Carter's death, the NRA's transformation into a cynical fund-raising machine with Wayne LaPierre and the PR firm of Ackerman-McQueen running things irrespective of Members' wishes.
It will be interesting to see how the membership responds, there could be 'blow-back' if/when Democrats retain control of the house next month.
From the Wash Post
The endorsements aren't the result of a sudden love for a party with which the NRA is often at odds. Rather, the powerful group adheres to what it calls "an incumbent-friendly" policy, which holds that if two candidates are equally supportive of gun rights, the incumbent gets the nod.
The policy has been in place for some time, and the NRA has always backed a number of Democrats, but the group's choices have become especially contentious this year because control of Congress is at stake and because so many gun-supporting Democrats were elected over the past four years.
The group's political action committee has doled out $350,000 this election cycle to Republicans and $170,000 to Democrats
In early 2009, U.S. Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. suggested promised the Obama administration might try would to re institute a ban on the sale of assault weapons.... several dozen 66 House Democrats (& 3 Dem Senators) sent Holder a letter opposing such a move (announcing AWB renewal was a fools errand) and the idea never resurfaced.
"If it hadn't been for those 60 66 House Democrats . . . things would have turned out very differently,"
The NRA has previously endorsed speaker Ried, but b/c of his Supreme court nominee votes, declined this year
the NRA has said it fears the possibility that if Reid loses, he could be replaced as majority leader by a more liberal lawmaker: Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) or Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.).
NY Sen Schumer (who has a permit for a concealed handgun) AG Holder & VP Biden were instrumental in writing the AWB that Prez Clinton & VP Gore have since gone on record as significantly contributing to Dems record losses in 1994.
The above links only specifically mention a few actual districts/representatives. RedState was the ONLY place I found most of them named. Nate Silver wrote in one of his few Gun Posts that it was difficult to track down NRA endorsements. Who the hell keeps track of numerous districts outside of where friends & family live? It aint easy...
Full disclosure: I personally don't like "assault weapons" & can't imagine ever owning one. The AWB backlash was purely grass roots, its where American gun owners drew 'a line in the sand'. Google "the zumbo effect" for more details. I'm interested in gun politics because I'm interested in Democratic Majority's. I hope to see Democrats 'take back Texas' & the rest of the country as well.
I'll close w/ a frequent comment on these threads
Republican majority's cause more death & destruction than legal american gun owners ever will
Repubs need 39 seats to Elect speaker Boner(sp)
These are 56 of the 58 endorsees
AL-2: Bobby Bright
AR-4: Mike Ross
Ca-18: Dennis Cardoza
CO-3: John Salazar
CO-4: Betsy Markey
FL-2: Allen Boyd
Ga-2: Sanford Bishop
Ga-8: Jim Marshall
Ga-12: John Barrow
IA-3: Leonard Boswell
IL-11: Debbie Halvorson
IL-12: Jerry Costello
IN-Senate-Brad Ellsworth
IN-2: Joe Donnely
IN-8: Trent Van Haaften
IN-9: Baron Hill
KY-6: Ben Chandler
MD-1: Frank Kratovil
MI-1: Gary McDowell
MN-1: Tim Walz
MS-1: Travis Childers
MS-4: Gene Taylor
MO-4: Ike Skelton
NC-7: Mike McIntyre
NC-8: Larry Kissell
NC-11: Heath Shuler
ND-At Large: Earl Pomeroy
NM-1: Martin Heinrich
NM-2: Harry Teague
NM-3: Ben Lujan
NY-20: Scott Murphy
NY-23: Bill Owens
NY-24: Mike Acruri
OH-Gov. Ted Strickland
OH-6: Charlie Wilson
OH-16: John Boccieri
OH-18: Zack Space
OK-2: Dan Boren
OR-5: Kurt Schrader
PA-4: Jason Altmire
PA-10: Chris Carney
PA-11: Paul Kanjorski
PA-12: Mark Critz
PA-17: Tim Holden
SD-At Large: Stephanie Sandlin
TN-4: Lincoln Davis
TN-8: Roy Herron
TX-17: Chet Edwards
UT-2: Jim Matheson
VA-2: Glenn Nye
VA-5: Tom Perriello
VA-9: Rick Boucher
WI-3: Ron Kind
WI-8: Steve Kagen
WV-Senate: Joe Manchin
WV-3: Nick Rahall